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Economic Times
18 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Jio BlackRock enters Indian MF market with focus on profitability and growth
Synopsis Jio BlackRock Asset Management, a new entrant in the Indian mutual fund industry, is prioritizing profitability and capturing new market growth over aggressive pricing strategies, unlike Jio's telecom approach. The joint venture aims to offer differentiated products and leverage its tech platform, Aladdin, to reduce costs and provide competitive pricing. Agencies The industry is keeping a close watch to see if Jio BlackRock will undercut rivals in the ultra-competitive mutual fund industry. Mumbai: Jio BlackRock Asset Management, one of the latest high-profile entrants into the Indian mutual fund industry, maybe following a slightly different playbook from group entity Jio's disruptive telecom foray. The 50:50 joint venture between Mukesh Ambani-backed Jio Financial Services and the world's largest asset manager BlackRock, may not be as aggressive on its pricing strategy to grab market share, unlike Jio's sharp discounting that helped it catapult into the big league in and capturing share from new growth in a market that has grown threefold in five years will be some of its mantras. "It is not at all to just capture market share, and profitability will be important and pricing is one of the key points," said Sid Swaminathan, MD and CEO, Jio Blackrock Asset Management, in an exclusive interview with ET. "We know the market is going to grow, we want to help it grow and get a share of the new growth that is coming, rather than capture from existing incumbent players. It's the growth story we are here for," said Swaminathan, who spent close to two decades with BlackRock in various fund management capacities, before relocating to India, about a year fund house is keen to offer differentiated content, value-added products and grow the market rather than grab share from existing players, he said. One of the differentiators Jio BlackRock will bring is its proprietary tech platform Aladdin, which will help in cutting transaction costs. "That allows us some cost engineering which we will pass on to end customer which results in more competitive pricing," said Swaminathan. The industry is keeping a close watch to see if Jio BlackRock will undercut rivals in the ultra-competitive mutual fund Blackrock started operations in India this month with launch of three debt schemes that include overnight, liquid and money market funds that mopped up ₹17,800 crore in early July. There have been talks that Reliance has also invested in the NFO."I don't want to be disclosing those levels of numbers now. Point is they are a large institution. They invest in all MFs right now. We have had 90 different institutions invest, so the breadth we got is very large; it is well diversified to begin with and we continue to add more investors post the NFO," he is expected to soon launch another five index funds, including four equity and one fixed-income fund. While the fund house has started with index funds, it aims to offer the entire range of index and active funds, funds that are driven by data, exchange traded funds (ETFs), specialised investment funds (SIFs) and alternate investment funds (AIFs) over time. While the Indian mutual fund market offers both regular and direct plans, the fund house has started with only direct plans, bypassing mutual fund distributors who sell regular plans and earn a commission. 'There is a growing trend towards digital; people are comfortable doing finances on the phone; we are looking to harness that with a direct digital model and that looks like the right way to start. However, nothing is off the table and as the business grows we will evaluate and take a call,' Swaminathan said. The Indian mutual fund industry, one of the fastest growing globally, has seen assets under management expand threefold in the past five years—to Rs 74.41 lakh crore in June 2025 from Rs 25.5 lakh crore in June 2020. The industry is abuzz with speculation that Jio Blackrock will scale fast and could also look at acquisitions. 'It is too premature to look at acquisitions. We are just getting started. From a strategy perspective we want to be in a situation where we will look at the evolution of the market, how we grow, what we see changing and how we adapt with our funds and distribution. We don't want to rule anything out,' said Swaminathan. 'We want to be a significant player here in the long term, but on the path to that we will get a better idea once we spend more time in the market,' he added
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Jio BlackRock enters Indian MF market with focus on profitability and growth
Mumbai: Jio BlackRock Asset Management , one of the latest high-profile entrants into the Indian mutual fund industry , maybe following a slightly different playbook from group entity Jio's disruptive telecom foray. The 50:50 joint venture between Mukesh Ambani-backed Jio Financial Services and the world's largest asset manager BlackRock, may not be as aggressive on its pricing strategy to grab market share, unlike Jio's sharp discounting that helped it catapult into the big league in telecom. Profitability and capturing share from new growth in a market that has grown threefold in five years will be some of its mantras. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category others Product Management Project Management MBA Cybersecurity Leadership Management Digital Marketing Healthcare PGDM Data Science CXO Degree Public Policy Others Data Science healthcare Artificial Intelligence MCA Finance Operations Management Design Thinking Data Analytics Technology Skills you'll gain: Duration: 16 Weeks Indian School of Business CERT - ISB Cybersecurity for Leaders Program India Starts on undefined Get Details "It is not at all to just capture market share, and profitability will be important and pricing is one of the key points," said Sid Swaminathan, MD and CEO, Jio Blackrock Asset Management, in an exclusive interview with ET. Best MF to invest Looking for the best mutual funds to invest? Here are our recommendations. View Details » "We know the market is going to grow, we want to help it grow and get a share of the new growth that is coming, rather than capture from existing incumbent players. It's the growth story we are here for," said Swaminathan, who spent close to two decades with BlackRock in various fund management capacities, before relocating to India, about a year ago. The fund house is keen to offer differentiated content, value-added products and grow the market rather than grab share from existing players, he said. One of the differentiators Jio BlackRock will bring is its proprietary tech platform Aladdin, which will help in cutting transaction costs. "That allows us some cost engineering which we will pass on to end customer which results in more competitive pricing," said Swaminathan. Live Events The industry is keeping a close watch to see if Jio BlackRock will undercut rivals in the ultra-competitive mutual fund industry. Jio Blackrock started operations in India this month with launch of three debt schemes that include overnight, liquid and money market funds that mopped up ₹17,800 crore in early July. There have been talks that Reliance has also invested in the NFO. "I don't want to be disclosing those levels of numbers now. Point is they are a large institution. They invest in all MFs right now. We have had 90 different institutions invest, so the breadth we got is very large; it is well diversified to begin with and we continue to add more investors post the NFO," he said. It is expected to soon launch another five index funds, including four equity and one fixed-income fund. While the fund house has started with index funds, it aims to offer the entire range of index and active funds, funds that are driven by data, exchange traded funds (ETFs), specialised investment funds (SIFs) and alternate investment funds (AIFs) over time. While the Indian mutual fund market offers both regular and direct plans, the fund house has started with only direct plans, bypassing mutual fund distributors who sell regular plans and earn a commission. 'There is a growing trend towards digital; people are comfortable doing finances on the phone; we are looking to harness that with a direct digital model and that looks like the right way to start. However, nothing is off the table and as the business grows we will evaluate and take a call,' Swaminathan said. The Indian mutual fund industry, one of the fastest growing globally, has seen assets under management expand threefold in the past five years—to Rs 74.41 lakh crore in June 2025 from Rs 25.5 lakh crore in June 2020. The industry is abuzz with speculation that Jio Blackrock will scale fast and could also look at acquisitions. 'It is too premature to look at acquisitions. We are just getting started. From a strategy perspective we want to be in a situation where we will look at the evolution of the market, how we grow, what we see changing and how we adapt with our funds and distribution. We don't want to rule anything out,' said Swaminathan. 'We want to be a significant player here in the long term, but on the path to that we will get a better idea once we spend more time in the market,' he added
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
SES awaits security nod, says new MEO satellites to boost Reliance Jio's enterprise business
NEW DELHI: Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES said that the company is awaiting security approvals from the Indian government to commercially launch services, and its newly-inducted O3b mPower communications satellite systems would facilitate Jio's space broadband offering for enterprises in the country. 'I think the last bit of security regulations are being sorted out. In my opinion, we are ready to go. We are already doing proof-of-concepts (PoC), but we're not allowed to carry commercial traffic. But in my opinion, we are just a few months away, and launch within the year,' Harsh Verma, head of enterprise business development at SES Asia, told ETSatcom . Thursday, SES launched two communication satellites- O3b mPOWER 9 and 10, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, a southeasternmost US state. 'For the 5G backhauling services, which is the core of their (Jio's) network and infrastructure planning, and deployment, they (Jio) are looking at O3b mPower system. Jio is also using our geostationary asset - SES-12.' The SES executive said that the company has already geared up fully since the last two years with its ground infrastructure, and other necessary operational processes. SES deployed its gateways together with Jio in Kadapa, a city in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh. We are basically making sure that it (ground station) complies with the telecom department's (DoT) security regulations. SES said that unlike billionaire Elon Musk-owned Starlink's low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites that are "more consumer grade," it offers "enterprise and carrier grade services" with predictable latency, service-level agreements (SLA) and throughput. 'We also bring in flexibility in our systems, and make it more sovereign.' Adel Al-Saleh-headed multinational's stakeholders include BlackRock Advisors, Temasek Holdings and Vertex Legacy Continuation Fund. 'Jio is looking to go into remote areas and really increase their coverage. India could be covering about 97-98%, but even 2% of the population still means a lot to them, and that's where satellite comes in. I am sure there are places they will use Starlink as well for more consumer-related services,' Verma added. Mukesh Ambani-owned Jio is looking at multiple satellite technologies— LEO, MEO and GEO, and has partnered with Starlink in India. On the contrary, archrival Bharti Airtel through Bharti Global invested in Eutelsat Oneweb and also maintains partnership with Starlink, with both offering LEO satellite constellation for broadband internet access in underserved areas. 'We have a very strategic foray into India, creating a joint venture with Reliance Jio . We have already started delivering the geostationary capacity on SES-12 while we bring O3b mPower. We are just waiting for final regulatory approval in India where we will start launching 5G services with Jio in India very soon, hopefully by the end of the year.' The executive further said that the multinational is serving as many as eight out of 10 top telecom carriers who are making space connectivity as a part of their core strategy. In February 2022, Jio Platforms, a part of India's oil-to-telecom conglomerate formed a joint venture (JV) with satellite operator SES through Jio Space Technology Limited to deliver broadband services in India. SES plans to launch three more satellites over the next 12 months to strengthen the network further, has as many as 20 GEO satellites currently hosting 9 direct-to-home (DTH) platforms and more than 2,000 TV channels worldwide. In 2024, the company earned a revenue of €3.7 billion (about $4 billion). Recently, SES acquired a global satellite operator Intelsat, creating a combined entity with a fleet of 120 satellites offering multi-band connectivity across two orbits.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
APAC mobile sector's contribution to GDP may rise to $1.4 trillion by 2030: GSMA
NEW DELHI: Mobile technologies and services accounted for 5.6% of the gross domestic product (GDP) across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region last year, contributing $950 billion by value, according to GSMA . The London-based telecom industry association, in its 'Mobile Economy Asia Pacific 2025' study released on Wednesday, attributed this growth to the adoption of the fifth-generation ( 5G ) technology, particularly in countries such as Malaysia and India, where telecom carriers notably expanded their 5G network coverage. GSMA estimates that by 2030, mobile's contribution in APAC may reach approximately $1.4 trillion – accounting for 6.6% of the GDP by then – driven by productivity improvements and efficiency gains led by ongoing expansion of mobile services and adoption of digital technologies, such as 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI). 'Between 2025 and 2030, the mobile sector in the region is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5%, surpassing the regional GDP growth forecast of around 4%,' GSMA said in the report, adding that the industry will play a key role in enhancing productivity in the region. In 2024, the countries with the highest 5G and IoT adoption were South Korea, Australia, Japan and Singapore. By 2030, however, 5G usage is expected to be widespread across most Asia Pacific countries. GSMA, however, noted that telecom operators allocated nearly $220 billion in capital expenditure (capex) between 2019 and 2024, with the majority earmarked for 5G infrastructure deployment. It said that the peak capital intensity stood at 25%, on average, in 2023 among APAC markets, which exceeded 50% 5G coverage by June 2025. It emphasised South Korean telcos – SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus – in July 2020 committed to investing $22 billion across two years to enhance 5G nationwide, while India's Reliance Jio in August 2022 also said it planned to invest $25 billion in a nationwide 5G rollout. 'Today, 5G coverage is universal in South Korea, while Jio's 5G SA network in India now serves over 60% of the population,' GSMA said. GSMA, which counts India's Jio and Bharti Airtel , AT&T , T-Mobile , Vodafone, and others, however cautioned that 5G capex has started stabilising as telcos have begun scaling down their spending after achieving significant 5G coverage. It cited Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson's revenue, which plunged by 33% year-on-year across Southeast Asia, Oceania, and India region in 2024, primarily dragged by normalisation of network investments in India following a period of rapid deployments. 'This development coincides with a growing shift in strategic focus from network deployment to monetisation, with operators seeking to recoup investments, maintain financial viability and support future innovation and technological advancements,' said GSMA, acknowledging that 5G came into existence during a period of stagnant mobile revenue growth, driven by factors such as the commoditisation of voice and data services and intense price competition, particularly in markets such as India. 'The significant financial burden of 5G infrastructure investments, combined with shrinking core communication revenues, has made monetisation a central focus for industry leaders since the technology's launch,' the association said.
News18
3 days ago
- Business
- News18
Vodafone Idea 5G Services Now Launched In Jaipur: Price, Prepaid Plans And More
Last Updated: Vodafone Idea 5G is quickly making its mark with more cities added to the support list and Jaipur is the latest one in July. Vodafone Idea 5G launch: The operator continues to expand its 5G network and now people in Jaipur can access its high-speed data services. The new update comes just a week after Vi 5G network was announced in Mysuru and Nagpur. Vi 5G is already available in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru among others and the company plans to have the 5G data network running in 23 cities over the next few months. Users can check 5G coverage by selecting their region, though currently, only the Mumbai circle is active. According to the website, Vi's 5G services will be further expanded to cities before the end of 2025. The operator has been slow in the 5G circuit, lagging far behind Airtel and Jio in the segment but the renewed effort to expand its 5G services means more cities are getting access to its high-speed network. Vi 5G prepaid plans in Jaipur start at Rs 299, offering 1GB of data per day for a 28-day validity. The company also provides plans at Rs 349 and Rs 365 that include 1.5GB and 2GB of daily data, respectively, for the same duration. For those looking for a long-term option, Vi's most expensive prepaid plan is priced at Rs 3,599, offering 2GB of data per day with a 365-day validity. Notably, all these plans come with unlimited 5G data. Moreover, Vi has introduced four options for postpaid customers. Users will have to pay Rs 451 and Rs 551 a month for Vi Max 451 and Vi Max 551. The latter has 90GB of data, while the former has 50GB. The Vi Max 751 has a 150GB data capacity and costs Rs 751. As we have told you before, Vi 5G introductory offer includes unlimited 5G data, but this is expected to be a limited-time offer. Currently, Vi is the only telecom provider in India offering unlimited 5G broadband on plans with less than 2GB of daily data. In comparison, Bharti Airtel and Jio provide unlimited 5G data only on plans that include at least 2GB of data per day. view comments First Published: July 23, 2025, 09:52 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
